Foot-ball-player&#39;s shoulder-guard.



. UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JOHN BOYD MGCALLA, OF KNOXVILLE, TENNESSEE.

FOOT-BALL-PLAYERS SHOULDER-GUARD.

Patented April 10, 1906.

To all whmn it may concern.-

Be it known that I, J 01m BOYD MoCALLA, a citizen of the United States, residing at Knoxville, in the county of Knox and State of Tennessee, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Foot-Ball-Players ShoulderGuards, of which the following is a specification, reference being had to the accompanying drawings.

My improvement relates to means for protecting the shoulders and the upper portion of the chest of foot-ball players against in juries.

The object of the invention is to produce such a device which shall to the greatest extent aiford such protection and which at the same time does not restrain the action of the shoulders, chest, and arms and which does not cause discomfort to the wearer, particularly by heat. To permit such a device to be put to practical use, it must be devoid of metal or similar solid material, as is required by the recognized foot-ball rules.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a front view of a device embodying my improvement. Fig. 2 is a rear View of the same device. Fig. 3 is a detail view looking at the inner side of a portion of the device. Fig. 4 is a section on the line 4 4 of Fig. 2. Fig. 5 is a side elevation.

Referring to said drawings, 1 is the back portion of the device, and 2 2 are the front portions of said device. Said portion 1 covers the back of the chest between the neck and a horizontal line located a little below the armpits and extending from the upper middle line of one shoulder to the similar line of the other shoulder. Each part 2 extends from the middle line of the chest to one of the armpits and from the middle upper line of the shoulder downward approximately to a horizontal line located a little below the armpits. On the shoulders the parts 2 meet the upper edge of the part 1 and are joined to the latter all along the meeting edges or the said parts 2, and said part 1 may be integral or continuous across the shoulders. The meeting edges of the said parts 2 2 are joined to each other by lacing 3. Immediately beneath the arms a suitable strap 4 has one of its ends joined to the adjacent lower portion of the adjacent part 2 and to the adjacent lower portion of the part 1. Said straps are secured by strong stitching or similar means 4 and it will be observed that said strap must be applied flatwise to the chest in order that there may not be such pressure against the inner side of the arm or in the armpit as will interfere with the free action of the arm or produce numbness of the arm.

The parts 1 and 2 are built up of a sheet of leather 5 and transverse strips 6 6 of felt or similaryielding liable material. Saidleather forms the outer ace of each of said arts 1 and 2. To the inner side of said leat er are applied said felt strips, one set of said strips being arranged parallel to each other and separated by spaces 7, approximately equaling the width of said strips, and the other set of said strips lying upon the first-mentioned set of said strips approximately at right angles to the strips of said first set and separated from each other by spaces approximately equal to the width of said strips. The first set of said strips are secured to said sheet of leather by strong stitching 6 and the strips of said second set are secured to the strips of the first set and also to' the leather, if so desired, by similar stitching 6 Said strips of felt are to be amply thick to form an efficient cushion throughout all parts of the device.

Each space 7 between the felt strips 6 extends to the edge of the device and affords a channel for ventilation. It will be observed that there are two sets of such spaces or channels extending at right anles to each other and that bothsets of such channels extend to the edge of the apparatus. Thus efficient provision is made to prevent heating, and such provision may be made still more ample by placing perforations Sint o the sheet of leather 5 in the spaces 7 between the felt strips 6, which lie against said leather. It will be noted that the outer felt strips are held away from the leather by the inner set of said strips, so that the air may pass between the strips of the inner set and the leather and reach even the perforations beneath the strips of said outer set.

I claim as my invention 1. In a device of the nature described, the portions, 1 and 2, built up of the outer leather sheet and two sets of strips of yielding, pliable material crossing each other and sewed to said leather and separated from each other by ventilating-spaces, substantially as described.

2. In a device of the nature described, the portions, 1 and 2, built up of the outer leather sheet and two sets of strips of yielding material crossing each other and sewed to said rial crossing each other and sewed to said leather and separated by Ventilating-spaces, straps connecting said portions, 1 and 2, and perforations in said leather communicating with said Ventilating-spaces, substantially as described.

in testimony whereof I have signed my name, in presence of two Witnesses, this 10th day of October, in the year 1905.

JOHN BOYD MGOALLA.

Witnesses:

CYRUS Kenn, CARRIE R. IVY. 

